
The sights from the summit of Breakneck Ridge are spectacular. 1260 feet above ground with the scenic and mountainous Hudson Highlands all around. Stunning views of the wide Hudson river with another peak, Stormking mountain, providing the backdrop directly across and this just ninety minutes from New York city.

I was completely ignorant about one of Singapore's best delights, the Hawker Centers and the sheer variety of absolutely delicious food available in them. By pure chance I wandered into the Maxwell Hawker Center one day and was both lost and fascinated by the experience. That day I tried what I now know to be the extremely popular and famous Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice and it was love at first bite.

The Vung Vieng floating village is one of the four small communities of fisherfolk who make their living in Ha Long Bay, not near the bay or on any island but on their boats and rafts. Protected from the elements by the surrounding limestone karsts of Ha Long bay, they lead a unique lifestyle in their raft homes, some small and tight and others quite large, some with modern comforts like generators and TVs and many with dogs.

Hanoi, this bustling city of millions is the modern day capital of Vietnam and has been an important center for a long time, having recently celebrated 1000 years of existence. It is a charming, if a bit chaotic, blend of remnants from its ancient days, more recent past under the French and modern times. A perfect city to begin to experience Vietnam and a great springboard to the rest of the country. And as I discovered, one can experience a quite a lot of Hanoi in a day.

When I first visited Tim Ho Wan in early 2012, they were still a little hole in the wall kind of Hong Kong shop in Mongkok with crowds of devoted diners waiting 2 hours to eat their famous Michelin star worthy Dim Sum specialties. On my next visit to Hong Kong almost exactly an year later, I excitedly made my way to Kwong Wa Street in Mongkok right after I checked into my hotel and was horrified to find that Tim Ho Wan had closed!